AGAIN POPE FRANCIS PROCLAIMS A FALSE GOSPEL

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Pope Francis has never shied away from provocative statements or launching in new directions. But this time he seems to have gone all the way. Pope Francis recently proclaimed “a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6).

During a three-day visit to Singapore, Pope Francis declared that “all religions are a path to God.” He boldly proclaimed, “There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths (to God).”

Someone in the Secretariat of State thought that remark needed a little massage, though, so the official Vatican translation added a verb and something that is either a participle or a gerundive, depending on how you diagram the sentence: “All religions are seen as paths trying to reach God.”

After a day or so of online invective and—presumably—more than a little back-and-forth within the Comms apparatus, a new translation appeared: “All religions are paths to God.”

If Francis and the official Vatican are correct, then Jesus was wrong when He stated,

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me” John 14:6

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16

Jesus did not die on the cross to provide “one more way” of getting to God. He died for our sins because it was the only way we could be reconciled to our Father in Heaven.

“God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” 2 Corinthians 5:19

It is only through Christ that anyone can be reconciled to the Father. There simply is no other way, period.

“If righteousness could be gained through the Law, Christ died for nothing” Galatians 2:21

In other words, if a person could get to God without Christ, the Father would never have sent His only Son to suffer the agony of crucifixion for our salvation.

Pope Francis proclaimed a counterfeit gospel in Singapore. It is “another gospel.” (Galatians 1:8) The pope’s teaching smacks of Universalism rather than Christianity. This false teaching completely contradicts the wisdom of the Gospel and the truth of Scripture and reveals that the Catholic church is an apostate church with most of the other denominational churches. Jesus said this would be a major end-times sign indicating His return is near.

Pope Francis sounded more like a politician than a prophet in Singapore. If you attempt to reduce Christianity to the level of every other religion, you strip it of its core tenets. There is only One God, and He is triune. And there is only one Gospel, and “it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

The world wants Christians to embrace the false gospel that Pope Francis unashamedly presented as truth. The big question is could Pope Francis be the Biblical prophesied end times False Prophet?

FORMER P.M. PAUL KEATING: WHAT MOTIVATES HIM?

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The former prime minister, Paul Keating has never done an interview quite like this one with Troy Bramston, bestselling/award-winning author and biographer of Prime Ministers Paul Keating, RG Menzies, Bob Hawke, Gough Whitlam.

Paul Keating is seated on a chair in the middle of his office in Potts Point, Sydney. It is not just any chair. It is from the Palace of the Tuileries in Paris, in the period when Napoleon Bonaparte was the First Consul of France. His arms rest on carved wooden griffons with lion heads and he relaxes into a soft cushion of horsehair. Keating ­purchased the chair last year. (The French Government’s Mobilier National, ­attached to the Ministry of ­Culture, had an ­option to acquire the chair but didn’t exercise it). When I arrived at the ­office with ­photographer Nick Cubbin, the chair was ­already in place, isolated from everything else, set against a red-walled backdrop. It is a striking example of French neoclassicism, which draws on ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian design, and expresses a philosophy of human progress with a moral and an aesthetic order, and the quest for innate beauty.

When talking about the chair and why he purchased it, Keating made the following statement which reveals a great deal about what motivates him:

“The Directoire and to a greater extent the Consulat are the periods of consolidation of the French Revolution – the event that changed all civil life going forward. The lives we all lead today, our liberty and equality, come from that time, that moment. This has always anchored my interest in the ­period. Otherwise, you would have been subservient to some monarch ‘appointed by God’ and by a Church that serviced God by collaborating with the monarch. Had you been an ­ordinary person, your life would have been wickedly subordinate, the next thing to being a non-person.”

Newly researched documentation on the bloodthirsty Reign of Terror that swept through France in 1793-1794, personified by Robespierre and the Angel of Terror, Saint Just, clearly indicates the high price paid by France for a revolution that brought havoc and thousands of deaths to the French nation. Perhaps one of the best examples is the massacre, better called the genocide, of La Vendée.  General François Westerman of the revolutionary army claimed with pride that, in his efforts to crush the rebellion of the Vendéens, carried out against the abuses and crimes of the Convention, he ordered, by the decree of August 2, 1793, the systematic destruction and burning of the entire countryside, including all crops and the mass assassination of all rebels in sight.

Can we call the massacre at La Vendée a genocide?  The term was used in 1944 to describe the horrors of the holocaust and the drama experienced by the Jews under Nazism. If we relate the number of men women and children slaughtered by the revolutionary army under the banner of liberté, égalité, and fraternité with the total population of France’s western provinces, the number is even higher than what the Jews had to suffer under the inhuman policy of Hitler’s National Socialism. In both cases, there was a deliberate will of extermination.

The French Revolution reveals the titanic struggle between good and evil. Among the first targets of the fury of the revolutionaries, following the dictates of many of the so-called philosophes, were the contemplative religious communities. The blood of innocent people lost in the years 1792-1794 staggers the imagination. The campaign against the Church was as much diabolical as cruel.

The Church before the French Revolution is often represented as having failed to produce the goodness and holiness that is preached in the Gospel. It cannot be denied that there were serious failures among the Catholic bishops and high hierarchical leaders. However, it is also true that many devoted priests and nuns were totally dedicated to a life of prayer and works of charity, who gave up their lives for the faith they professed.

Keating believes that the French Revolution was the greatest event in human history as did Voltaire, Diderot and Baroon de Hobach.

“Every sensible man, every honorable man must hold the Christian religion in horror.” –Voltaire

“Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” –Diderot

“Religion has ever filled the mind of man with darkness and kept him in ignorance of the real duties of true interests. It is only by dispelling these clouds and phantoms of religion, that we shall discover Truth, Reason, and Morality. Religion diverts us from the causes of evil, and from the remedies which nature prescribes; far from curing, it only aggravates, multiplies and perpetuates them.” –Baron de Holbach

What does Keating say about himself? “I’m definitely an aesthete,” Keating says. “That’s my whole thing. I’ve been an aesthete since I was a boy.” (aesthete: a person who has or affects a highly developed appreciation of beauty, especially in poetry and the visual arts). It shaped his conception of “big picture” style leadership and the attendant dreams of audacious statecraft. He often says leadership is founded on imagination and must be matched with courage. “You must have the imagination,” he insists. “Imagination is everything.” To envision a better future, you need a nourishment of the mind.

“Where does the spiritual uplift come from?” Keating asks. “Well, I think it comes from the inner life … you need the bubbling cauldron. Without the ­bubbling cauldron, you can never get the rise. Without the rise, you just do ordinary stuff. But then who wants to do ordinary stuff?”

What does he mean “without the bubbling cauldron you never get the rise”. What nonsense, perhaps he should have gone to university after all. “Not going to university, Keating argues, freed his mind. He sought intellectual nourishment by indulging personal interests“

Keating explained that the task of the reformer is to combine imagination with indignation. It demands political battle. “What others would call the warrior statesman,” Keating explains. “Most of these people in history, whether it’s Alexander the Great or whoever were in the business of blood and gore, you know? And in politics, I was in the blood and gore business, fundamentally. But with big ideas always running it.” Winning debates in parliament, putting the blowtorch to opponents in interviews, and slashing attacks on the campaign trail – it was about establishing political hegemony and ­policy authority. “Why do you throw Liberals around like rag dolls?” he asks. “Apart from the fun of it, the importance of it is for the betterment of the economy and society.”

Noting he is “fundamentally a romantic”, led him to an exploration of romanticism in culture. I always inhabited both camps, neoclassicism, and romanticism. ­Neoclassicism with and for its enlightenment ideals, its devotion to reason and perfectionism – much of which informed my calibrated ­approach to economic policy. [And] romanticism opened the yawning vistas of life replete with emotions that cram the human experience – which music goes out of its way to both join and to satisfy. I think I can claim, without refute, that you are much better with both. The culture of reason vying with the culture of feeling. Nevertheless, both share a common ideal: beauty. For as Stendhal said, ‘beauty is the promise of happiness’. I believe this to be true and have believed so always.”

Nowhere in the interview do they get into our origins, religion, meaning, and purpose of life.

CHRISTIANITY IN EUROPE: GOOD NEWS FIRST, REALITY CHECK SECOND

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GOD IS MOVING ACROSS EUROPE – IN FRANCE, HUNGARY & ITALY

FRANCE: Praise, prayer, and the Word of God filled the streets of Paris recently as more than 25,000 people participated in the March for Jesus in France. The massive gathering of believers across Paris on May 25th reportedly broke record participation when attendees gathered together under the banner “Let’s bear witness publicly and in unity” about our faith in Jesus Christ.

A coalition of ministries organized the event which took place in Paris and four other cities including Lille, Nantes, Metz, and Strasbourg. The organizers said that the gathering “allowed Christians of all denominations to raise the name of Jesus above their theological differences.” “We opened ourselves to the entire evangelical Protestant spectrum thanks to the participation of several churches such as MLK, Hillsong, ICC, and also Baptist, charismatic, and more traditional Protestant churches. My role, as coordinator is to keep unity and unite around Jesus,” Gilbert Leonian, the pastor in charge of the Paris march said. He also said, “If we are here, it is not for a religion or to promote our church, but because there is someone who has touched us deeply – Jesus,”

HUNGARY & ITALY: Another wave of massive gatherings has taken place across Europe since the Paris March with more than a thousand people making decisions to follow Jesus Christ – this time in Hungary and Italy. International evangelist Jean-Luc Trachsel says “the power of the Lord” moved at two huge conferences in Hungary and Italy as people were saved, healed, and delivered. “Everywhere in Europe there are hungry and thirsty people,” he wrote on social media.  Trachsel is the founder of Jean-Luc Trachsel Ministries which works to “bring unity among Christians and to proclaim the Gospel to this generation with mercy and compassion.” Recently Trachsel delivered a message in Paris, for the “March For Jesus”. Trachsel shared about a worship event called “This is the Day” in Miskolc, Hungary. That stadium can hold more than 15,000 people, and it was filled with souls hungry for God. Trachsel reports 1,300 people gave their lives to Christ.

Trachsel also shared a message on the power of the Holy Spirit at the Apostolic Conference 2024 hosted by the “Apostolic Church in Italy” in Rome. The three-day conference brought together a network of Italian churches with 11,000 members. A massive Protestant gathering like this is seen as unusual in the seat of Roman Catholicism. Trachsel recounts that “miracles and healings” took place at the conference including someone who was born deaf and left the conference able to hear and another person who had “blind twisted eyes” could see normally after receiving prayer.

REALITY CHECK: He added that the greatest “miracle” was the souls saved. Much of Europe has abandoned the Christian faith, embraced secularism, and returned to its pagan roots. The number of European Christians is expected to drop by about 100 million, falling from 553 million in 2010 to 454 million in 2050. Meanwhile, Europe’s Muslim population is expected to increase by 63% in the same time frame. Trachsel said he is seeing the decline firsthand in Switzerland where only 3 to 5% of the seven million people are born-again Christians. I feel the time is coming in Europe when real Christians will have to be underground,” he said

Trachsel is correct, the church in Europe will be underground as it is in China, Iran, and other Muslim countries. We need to take Jesus warning to heart:

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

U.K. – REVIVAL OF FAITH AMONG GEN Z

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A new study reveals a significant shift in religious attitudes among Gen Zers in the United Kingdom, those born in 1997 or later, suggesting a potential revival of faith and increased spiritual questioning. The research found that individuals aged 18-24 exhibit higher levels of religiosity than any other age group.

The study shows that 69% of respondents aged 18-24 believe their faith significantly impacts their lives, compared to only 51% of those older than 65.

Further, 72% of young adults in this age group stated that their religion helps them find purpose in life, a stark contrast to the 47% of those older than 65 who said the same, according to the survey conducted by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life and carried out by Whitestone Insight.

One notable aspect of the study, involving over 2,000 U.K. adults, is the diversity and openness among younger believers. It was found that 76% of 18- to 24-year-olds have friends with different faiths or beliefs, suggesting a higher degree of tolerance and acceptance. This contrasts with older generations who are less likely to have diverse friendship groups.

Moreover, 45% of Gen Z respondents expressed openness to changing their religious beliefs, compared to 22% of those older than 65.

The survey also found that Gen Zers are more likely to view faith as a positive force in public life. They support the idea of politicians discussing their faith publicly and believe in the involvement of faith leaders in social and political matters. This contrasts with the overall low confidence in religion as a force for good in society, as only 36% of the general population agreed with this sentiment.

Among religious respondents, 55% saw religion as a positive force, highlighting the generational divide in attitudes toward faith.

Charlotte Littlewood, a senior research associate at IIFL, noted that while the U.K. has been on a general course of secularization legally and politically, British youth increasingly value faith. “The results have shown that whilst legally and politically the U.K. has been on a general course of secularization, British youth are more believing than those half a century their senior,” Littlewood said, according to Christian Today. “Faith is seen of higher value, significance, and impact to Gen Z, compared with previous generations.”

The survey also examines broader societal views on religion.

For instance, while there is general resistance to religion in the workplace and politics, 42% view religion in the workplace positively compared to 41% who disagree. Younger generations see more value in religious discussions in public spheres.

The media’s portrayal of religion also came under scrutiny in the study. A significant 71% of respondents agreed that the media is biased, and 63% did not favor more media coverage of religion. This mistrust suggests a gap between the media’s representation of religion and the public’s experience.

Despite these challenges, the study highlights positive aspects of faith in the U.K. For example, 62% of respondents agreed that Christian heritage is important to the U.K., and there is a perception that the country welcomes religious diversity. Further, 73% of respondents reported having friends of different faiths, indicating strong interfaith relationships.

Faith’s role in education is also seen as crucial by many respondents. The survey found that 61% of participants believe religious education is important in schools, and 80% agree that knowledge of other faiths is essential.

The study’s findings resonate with broader trends observed in the United States and elsewhere.

The Survey Center on American Life noted generational shifts in religious affiliation and participation in the U.S. While young adults in the U.S. are less religiously affiliated than previous generations, those who engage with religion often show a strong commitment to their faith.

A 2023 report in the U.S. revealed that while younger generations of Americans are less religious and less engaged with the Bible than older generations, roughly half credit the Bible’s message for transforming their lives.

The American Bible Society’s State of the Bible USA 2023 report showed that although a higher percentage of Gen Zers identify as agnostics, atheists or “nones” (34%) compared to older generations, 58% of Gen Z respondents identify as Christians.

Despite the lower levels of Scripture engagement among America’s youth, about half of Gen Z respondents agreed with the statement, “The message of the Bible has transformed my life.” Specifically, 49% of Gen Z adults aged 18 to 21 and 52% of those aged 22 to 26 felt the Bible had a transformative effect on their lives.

What a good truth to end the post on “The message of the Bible has transformed my life“. It always will if you spend time in it, and even more so if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and received the Holy Spirit. He is your teacher, counsellor, and comforter. He will lead you into all truth.

DID JESUS COME TO START A RELIGION?

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No, He did not. He came to set up a Kingdom and the only prayer He taught us to pray is

“Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven“… only then do we ask for our daily needs.

“And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:29-34

Next on God’s agenda for His Earth is for Jesus to set up a Kingdom on Earth where Jesus and the glorified Saints will rule and reign for 1000 years. God’s Word tells us exactly how Satan’s rule comes to an end. He is bound in the Abyss for most of Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom. He is released at the end and is still able to raise an army like the sand of the sea to come against Jesus and the Saints. I am reminded here of the time before God destroyed all of mankind except Noah and his family.

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Genesis 6:5-6

How many churches are preparing believers for Jesus’ coming Millennial Kingdom on planet Earth? I would say very few, they are not even preparing them for the coming tribulation. The seven churches in Revelation represent the church in each of the last seven years prior to Jesus’ return and God pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet (7) and Bowl (7) judgments. Also, the six seals show us what will happen on Earth during the last seven years. Let us look at the Sixth Seal and the Sixth Church.

SIXTH SEAL: The celestial signs in the sky that precede the Rapture of the Saints and God pouring out His wrath upon the Earth. The Rapture happens at the trumpet blast and the opening of the seventh seal.

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:12-17

SIXTH CHURCH (Church of Philadelphia – Philadelphus means “love of the brethren“) This is the church that God is going to rapture

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:7-8,10

The seventh church (Laodicea means “judgment of the people,”) This is the church God is going to spit out of His mouth. They will face the wrath of God but note, that God still calls them to repent (Rev. 3:14-22).

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

DO YOU REALLY KNOW THE GOD OF THE BIBLE?

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God is eternally perfect in every way. He is the single standard by which we understand all things to be good and true.

God is immutable (unchanging over time), omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. All powerful, all knowing, and ever-present.

God’s omnipotence describes His immeasurable power. He can do anything and everything. But, what should we do with this information? Simple. We are being told to keep calm and leave everything to the ever-powerful God we serve. He is all-powerful and He is in control.

God’s omniscience should remind us of how His Will is absolute. God knows you. He knows what’s going to hurt you, makes you smile, encourages you, heals you, and makes you more like Jesus. Because you committed your life to Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, God the Father has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell your spirit. He has given you everything you need to live a Christian life under His Grace and blessings. For your part, you only need to believe in the Will of God and know the Holy Spirit will guide your every step as long as you say, Lord, not my will but your will be done today. Humans can only predict but, the Lord can leap through time and He knows what good He is going to bring you. All you need to do is rest in that knowledge. No one except your deeds can take that away from you.

God’s omnipresence or “all-present” refers to how God is everywhere. He is not a material that is confined within time and space. God controls time and space. Psalm 139 shows us that He knows what we are going to do before we even do it. Jeremiah 1:5 says that God knew us before we were even formed in the womb of our mothers. Aside from this, God already has a purpose for us before we were even born! This is possible because of God’s omnipresence. He has already seen the future while being in the past.

For Christians, because we have accepted Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Saviour we have received the special privilege of the Holy Spirit indwelling our Spirit. As Proverbs states our spirit is the lamp of the Lord. The lamp requires oil (Holy Spirit) to function as God intended man to function.

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:27

Consider these words by Reformed theologian Herman Bavinck on the errors of a relationship-driven human-god economy. He writes, “The difference between the creator and the creatures hinges on the contrast between being and becoming” (Reformed Dogmatics, 2:156).

God is “being” (eternal, unchanging, perfect, all-knowing) and we are always “becoming” something else based on our experiences.

There is a problem with Mutual Theism: “it’s a relationship, not a religion” mentality. We must not forget that when we misrepresent and misunderstand the God of scripture, we make an idol. Our sinful, finite minds are naturally opposed to the holy and exclusive. It makes us uneasy. So, we will ease our consciences and in sin, make Him more like us. Outside of biblical Christianity, almost every religion presents divinity as attainable. But there is only one God that is truly transcendent, divine, and holy. This is the God of the bible. Unlike other gods, His actions are not removed from His being. Rather, His will, His being, His essence, and His actions are eternally the same within God.

One might counter that God’s actions/responses are not connected to His being or essence. He is not becoming something else when He responds with a temporal action.  But, that draws out complications related to how Christians historically understand God’s ontology (study of God’s existence). Christians understand God to be absolute. He is self-sustaining. All wisdom and knowledge are complete and found in Him. More than that, God is the source of all knowledge. No one can know anything unless God has revealed it to them. To suggest that God can know or become something different (if even only for an instant) undermines what it means to be God. God does not change. He is not subject to mood swings; He is always God with perfect understanding, knowledge, and action in every situation.

Furthermore, we must not attempt to understand God through a lens of attributes or behavior, rather, we must understand these attributes through the lens of God. God is not made up of components – like the sum of many parts. He is not some complex mixture of love, wrath, grace, etc. He just is. He cannot become anything else because He has always been. For these reasons, we cannot separate God’s actions from His being. They’re unified; all in one. God just is and will forever be. His actions are always the perfect expressions of His being.

Most of us are just uninformed and unaware that their framework for understanding how we relate to the divine is substantially skewed. We have unknowingly adopted Theistic Mutualism (it’s a relationship, not a religion) as our theological framework.

We pray and petition because we desire other realities in our life. We want God to hear us, change His mind, and honor our requests. For reference, consider the following verses:

  • Psalm 106:23: “Therefore he said he would destroy them had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.”
  • Judges 2:18: “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them.”
  • Genesis 6:6: “And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart”

So how we do reconcile these emotionally-fueled responses from God with the fact that God is also immutable and impassable? The expressions from God we find in scripture are provided and written anthropomorphically. That is, they are written to give God human-like characteristics to help us better understand an aspect of God’s being or Law (the two can be separated). They are packaged in such a way that helps a finite being understand the behavior of an infinite one.

So, what’s so controversial? Well, the problem centers on how we understand the driving force of these responses from God. If it’s only us and prayer, then the economy of influence we have with God is not too dissimilar from that of the gods found within Greek Mythology. We possess the power to draw some alternate desired reality from God. God, the source of infinite power and knowledge, is ours to try and manipulate. Like Moses in the verse above, we act because we want to revise God’s position on a matter.

Peradventure, let’s pretend we think God to not be compassionate enough in a certain situation, but after intense prayer, fasting, and reasoning with God, He complies and divinely expresses the desired and proper compassion. Logically, this means the petitioner possesses some unique insight into the situation that God must not have. This person has enlightened God’s understanding and convinced Him that He ought to be more compassionate, given this and that. In this scenario, God is not immutable and certainly not omniscient. Instead, He is adapting and by way of outside influence, becoming a more enlightened version of Himself. Clearly, this is nonsense. God is eternally perfect in every way. He is the single standard by which we understand all things to be good and true. Yet, this is how many Christians practically carry out their relationship with God.

As an example, has there ever been a point in time when God did not hate sin? No, of course not – yet we find in scripture how God is enraged at sinful behavior. However, He didn’t start the day calmly and then become enraged once a sin was committed. No. His character and “being” has always hated that which is opposed to His righteousness. God is omniscient; He knows everything. He knew sin was going to happen. Nevertheless, scripture communicates God’s anger at sin to us in a way that is anthropomorphic and understandable. In fact, the only aspect of the human-divine “relationship”  that is subject to change is how we apply these eternal truths in our lives.

We must not forget that God created everything, even time. While God is eternal, He engages with us in the temporal. He meets us where we are. Bavinck helps us again when he explains, “He [God] remains eternal and inhabits eternity, but uses time with a view to manifesting His eternal thoughts and perfections” (Reformed Dogmatics, 2:164). It is as Reformed theologian Scott Clark once stated, “The historic Reformed view is that all of God’s revelation is accommodated. That is how it must be in the nature of divine-human relations.” The story of salvation is full of examples of God making Himself known to His people. This was perfectly manifested in the incarnation.

The problematic and prevalent relationship-first model of Christianity fails to paint the correct picture of the economy between God and man. God is God and we are not. We must not project a human relationship model onto the divine; this is precisely why Evangelicals need to abandon the, “It’s a relationship, not a religion” mentality.

That being said, none of what I have said means that we can’t know God and interact with Him. We absolutely can! Jesus has made this possible. But we must pursue a relationship that is honest to His being. Christianity is a religion, and it is the only religion that offers a covenantal relationship with the only true and living God.

In closing, I recommend reading James Dolezal’s book All That is in God. He deals with this topic in much more detail and effectiveness. It’s not an easy read, but it is rich in doctrine and thought and worthy of your time.

Adapted from the article “Why Evangelicals Need to Stop Saying ‘It’s a Relationship, Not a Religion” October 15, 2018, by Jack Lee published by Patheos.

GOD LOVES YOU, DO YOU LOVE GOD?

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Dr. Josh Packard, executive director of Springtide Research Institute, told CBN’s Faithwire about his extensive research into 13-to-25-year-olds, noting studies have long found “religion is good for you.”

God is real and He is concerned about His Cosmos particularly those in it that He made in His image to be in a relationship with Him so it is natural that He responds to those that sincerely call on Him in prayer.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7

“Faith and spirituality are good for you,” Packard said. “If you’re a person who believes in some kind of higher power and has a connection to that higher power, you’re generally flourishing more than your peers.”

He continued, “Those who pray more tend to be flourishing more in all areas, including their mental health.”

Packard’s comments are particularly stunning when America faces an “epidemic of mental health [crises] among young people.” Meanwhile, there’s also a massive rise in the proportion of “nones” who no longer affiliate with a specific faith or religion.

Data pointing to increased wellness among the faithful is particularly pertinent in the midst of these dynamics, pointing to a potential solution to cultural conundrums.

Packard said there are lessons in Springtide Research Institute’s findings that can inform the culture and churches alike, especially in an era in which faith is being downplayed or diminished.

“Young people would be … better off if more of them had a connection to something bigger than themselves,” he said. “But also, I think a lot of religious institutions and leaders would do well to take mental health into account, so that like faith and belief could be appropriately part of somebody’s overall approach to health.”

While young people might not be aligning with Christianity at rates they once were, Packard said many still see themselves as spiritual, and more than half pray.

While the separation from biblical truth is undoubtedly troubling for Christians, these realities show at least openness to a higher power. And that intrigue could lead to receptive Gospel introductions.

“We see lots of desire from Gen Z to embark on these conversations and explorations of meaning and purpose and, ‘Why am I here on this Earth?’” he said. “So, the desire hasn’t gone away. The exploration hasn’t gone away.”

As Faithwire has extensively reported, countless surveys and studies show the benefits of faith.

Human beings were created to live in fellowship with God. We know from God’s Word that the two people God created, in the beginning, disobeyed God and the consequence of that disobedience was separation and subsequent death.

We also know from God’s Word that God created angelic spiritual beings prior to making mankind and that rebellion by one supreme angelic being named Lucifer, now renamed Satan convinced one-third of God’s angelic beings to rebel with him. Moreover, it was Satan that tempted Eve who then enticed Adam into disobeying God. Satan is now the prince of this world and our prime battle is against him and his demons.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:12-13

God has provided all we need to overcome Satan and his demons. God sent Jesus, His Son to pay the price for our rebellion against Him. Once we repent of our rebellion and accept Jesus’ offer of Salvation and submit to Him as Lord then God the Father sends the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to indwell our spirit and enable us to live the Christian life as our counsellor, comforter, and teacher. Moreover, He teaches us how to pray and will even intercede for us when we do not know how to pray.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26-28

God has also told us the end of His Story. Satan is defeated and Jesus is made king and will rule and reign on this earth for one thousand years.

“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Revelation 12:9-11

“They (resurrected Saints) came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:5-6

More on CHRISTIANS: The Urgent Case for Jesus in our World

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In this Direct interview, John Anderson (former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia) is joined by Greg Sheridan, widely-respected foreign editor for The Australian. . They discuss the Christian foundations of Western civilisation and the profound importance of religion at a societal, cultural and individual level. They delve into the deep rationality that often undergirds Christian faith, and question the capacity of atheistic philosophies to truly nourish the human soul. Greg Sheridan is one of Australia’s most influential national security commentators, who is active across print media, television and radio and also writes extensively on culture. He has written eight books. His latest, Christians: The Urgent Case for Jesus in Our World is a compelling argument for the modern relevance and importance of the New Testament. As foreign editor of The Australian, he specialises in Asia. He has interviewed Presidents and Prime Ministers across the world.

ENEMIES OF CHRISTIANITY DECLARING NEW WAR ON RELIGION

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I came across this article written last year by a non Christian, Andrew Bolt who can see more clearly than Christian leaders the coming persecution.
AUGUST 2, 2017: Andrew Bolt, a journalist with the Herald Sun has written an incisive article challenging the church and christian leaders to stand up and be counted or submit to the new Totalitarianism of Anti-christian hate speech, persecution and worse. He points out that if people of faith do not speak up for freedom, faith and family for the greater good of all society in all its forms will be worse under the jackboots of those who hate the truth!

CHRISTIANS, prepare for persecution. Open your eyes and choose stronger leaders for the dark days.

I am not a Christian, but I am amazed that your bishops and ministers are not warning you of what is already breaking over your heads.

How mad that Queensland’s Education Department can now warn schools against letting students praise Jesus in the playground. The department has put out reports telling state schools “to take appropriate action if aware that students participating in (religious instruction) are evangelising to students who do not participate”.

It gives examples of what students must not say in the playground — such as “knowing about Jesus is a very important thing”, or “God, please help us to use our knowledge to help others”. Nor may students hand out Christmas cards or decorations.

What do these bureaucrats fear from children inspired by Christ?

Is it that stuff about loving your neighbour? Or that instruction to respect the dignity of every human life that makes Christians the enemy of totalitarians?

But this ban on playground talk of Jesus is only the most shocking salvo of the new war on Christians.

Pastor Campbell Markham is facing an anti-discrimination complaint arising from blog posts he wrote relating to the marriage debate.

Last week, two Christian preachers were summoned to Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Tribunal for preaching their faith’s stand on traditional marriage and homosexuality.

Hobart pastor, Campbell Mark­ham and street preacher David Gee, from Hobart’s Cornerstone Church, were denounced by an atheist offended by, among other things, Markham quoting a verse from the Bible.

We’ve seen this before. Hobart’s Catholic Archbishop, Julian Porteous, was two years ago ordered by this tribunal to tell by what right he spoke against same-sex marriage.

How cowed the churches have been before this looming persecution, now picking off vocal Christians, one by one.

Just this year, Sydney University’s Student Union threatened to deregister the university’s Evangelical Union unless it stopped insisting members declare their faith in Christ.

Meanwhile, same-sex marriage extremists bullied Coopers Brewery into taking down a video of a Christian MP Andrew Hastie debating same-sex marriage, and lobbied IBM, PwC and Sydney University to punish staff belonging to a Christian group opposed to gay marriage.

Last week, 70 pro-Safe Schools activists picketed a church to abuse people at an Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) meeting as “bigots”.

A sign explaining why Coopers Beer is not being served at a hotel earlier this year.

Last year, an ACL meeting was cancelled after the hotel venue was bombarded with threats.

The state-funded SBS joined in by banning an ad by Christians defending traditional marriage, yet ran one for an Ashley Madison dating service for adulterers.

The Greens are the political wing of this attack on Christianity, and are demanding churches lose their legal freedom to hire only people who live by their faith.

The media, too, often cheer this war, using as their excuse the sexual abuse of children by some priests and ministers decades ago. Rarely do they admit the average gap between the alleged offences by Catholic priests and the lodging of complaints is 33 years. That suggests the churches did crack down on paedophiles decades ago.

But this vilification has had its effect. The Census shows the proportion of Australians calling themselves Christian has dropped from 74 per cent in 1991 to 52 per cent now.

No wonder, when the weaker churches cower before the persecution.

Last week, some even licked the boots of the anti-Christian ABC when it launched yet another attack, smearing churches as the haven of wife-beaters.

Christians are more inclined to volunteer, donate and keep families together, surveys show.

This ABC series led off with a ludicrously false claim: “The men most likely to abuse their wives are evangelical Christians who attend church sporadically.”

A week after I proved this untrue, the ABC edited its reports to replace that false claim with another: “Overall, the international studies indicate that intimate partner violence is just as serious a problem in Christian communities, as it is in the general community.”

Wrong again. Professor Bradford Wilcox, author of the American study the ABC cited as proof, complained “the (ABC’s) story … does not square with the evidence that church ­going couples, in America at least, appear to be less likely to suffer domestic violence”.

In fact, Christianity produce better citizens in many ways. Surveys show Christians are more inclined to volunteer, donate and keep families together. So what do the enemies of Christianity wish to achieve by smearing, silencing and destroying this civilising faith? What would they replace it with? With the atheism that preaches every man for himself? With Islam? Or with the green faith that has not inspired a single hospital, hospice, school, or even soup kitchen? Yet the persecution is starting. Are the churches ready?

Since this article was written Australia now has legislated same sex marriage and as a result the transgender activists have escalated their agenda beyond my belief. People these are “last days” and we have moved into “fast forward”.

RELIGION OR JESUS?

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Like the Pharisees and Sadducee’s are we playing church. The Book of Acts (Bible) tells us what the Christian life should look like and what is the church. Back then, the church grew phenomenally (3,000 on day 1) as believers operated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost . Paul taught that when people repented of their sins, accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and were baptised (demonstrated their dying to the old life and born again), they would be filled with the Holy Spirit. They were dead and now in Christ they are alive, eternally alive. Their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and they are now the church. He taught the priesthood of all believers. Jesus expects us to make disciples wherever He has placed us, whatever our calling, bearing in mind work is a calling whether it is business by building culture and meeting people’s needs, a teacher, a farmer, a lawyer, a plumber.

The big question, is the church functioning today as presented in the Book of Acts and if not why not?

Torben Sondergaard is doing a great job demonstrating the church as it was in the book of Acts. The following video provides an answer to the question I have just posed. You need to watch Torben’s video, The Last Reformation (YouTube) to see Christians operating in the marketplace as in the book of Acts.